


sweetener

by orphan_account



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, M/M, Modeling, Nude Modeling, barista jeno, fashion director ten, johnny washes cars, mechanic yuta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-28 19:40:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16248497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: johnny and ten are both confident gays.the difference is, johnny is bold and ten is whipped.





	sweetener

**Author's Note:**

> I'VE BEEN WRITING THIS ON AND OFF FOR LIKE A MONTH LOL I'M HAPPY TO FINALLY BE PUBLISHING IT UHG

“Flashing cameras and glamorous spotlight has surrounded Ten for so long that, at this point, he feels out of place not being overwhelmed by cameras and judges. Whether it’s a fashion runway or a photoshoot, he’s been doing it for years and it’s pretty much his life now. At only the age of nineteen, he’s already found himself high up in a rich company and he’s racking in thousands of dollars a week. How this even happened is still a mystery, but all he knows is that he wouldn’t change it for a thing.

Ten shifts from one foot to the other, scrunching his face up and shaking his head. “No, no, no. This is all wrong! Suyeon, move more to the left, just a little. Like an inch. Okay.”

It’s a hot day in the middle of July and Ten can’t believe he has to direct a photoshoot in this weather, but his boss told him he’d get a raise if this clothing line sells better than their last, so here he is. He pouts to himself and puts his fist on his chin, looking at his line of models waiting for his next command. He doesn’t know why the designer of the clothes doesn’t just do this himself, but then again, Ten  _is_  the best for the job. He sighs.

“Alright. Suyeon, you’re sassy in this outfit. Imagine you’re a Spice Girl. Yes, just like that.” He follows her with the camera as she walks, tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth. “Exactly like that. Strut, pause, hand on hip — yes! Oh my god, I think I’m going to come from excitement.” Ten follows her again as she walks back. “Shoulders straight, head high, hair flip. Perfect. You’re the best, miss Ji.”

Suyeon walks off and leaves to the dressing room to change into her regular clothes. Meanwhile, another model steps onto the runway. Ten fans himself with his hand. It seems every minute this building gets hotter. He grabs the tripod next to him and sets it up in front of the next model, who’s waiting patiently in front of the plain white backdrop.

“Taeyong,” Ten coos, not missing how Taeyong’s lips twitch into the ghost of a smile before going back to being stoic. “You’re comfortable but professional. Yes, casual and also too good for everything.” Taeyong is sitting on a white box, hands on either side of the prop and facing outwards, one leg pulled up and the other straight. His head is tilted, facing away from the camera but still enough in shot to be professional. “This is perfect. Look at me, baby, yes, fiercer. There we go. You’re intimidating in all the best ways because you’re just too cool in your flowy white blouse and skinny jeans. Be docile and innocent when you look off to the side but intense when you make eye contact. Ugh, god, you’re good. The duality of man is unbelievable.”

He steps away from the tripod and picks it up to put it to the side again. Taeyong sighs, standing and walking to the start of the runway. He fiddles with his thin sleeve while Ten readjusts his filming camera. “I was thinking about going to dinner tonight,” he speaks up, straightening himself when Ten looks over to him, pressing buttons on the camera.

“You’re finally taking me on a date,” Ten teases, focusing back on positioning the camera. Taeyong scoffs.

“I could do a lot better.”

“Ouch,” he replies, pointing at the runway to indicate he’s begun shooting. Taeyong pats himself down for a second before striding along, slipping easily into the persona suited for the outfit he’s modeling before continuing the conversation.

“I’m going to bring this guy I’ve been seeing. He’s really interested in your work and I told him I’d introduce you guys.” Ten points to his face and Taeyong quiets, pursing his lips together as the camera pans back up to his face. He makes sure his eyes are half-lidded and his head is held high for the scene — “face shot,” Ten had called it, but neither of them can hear that anymore without remembering Mark pointing out the innuendo.  _Taeyong probably wouldn’t mind a facial from me, anyway_ , Ten had replied, earning a glare from Taeyong. The model relaxes when Ten gives him a thumbs-up. “He’s cute.”

Ten snorts. “I’m sold. But don’t you want him?”

Taeyong strips off his jacket and walks to the dressing room, setting it on the chair and beginning to remove the rest of the clothes. “He’s bringing  _his_  friend,” he says from the other room, loud enough for the photographer to hear. “That’s who I’m interested in.”

“Why haven’t you told me about this guy and his friend, if you’re so interested in them?” Ten begins packing up his equipment, adjusting the cuffs of his jacket and running his fingers through his hair. He’s more thankful than ever that he’s already done working. “Hurry up, I’m ready to go home and change. It’s hot as fuck in here and I am not sweating off my eyeliner again.” Taeyong scoffs again from the changing room.

“I’m telling you about them right now, aren’t I?” He steps out of the changing room, dressed in the clothes he came in. Ten whistles.

“Smart ass.” Ten puts his picture camera in his bag and sighs. He points at the tripod and says nothing, just lets Taeyong pick it up and fold it up while he puts his other equipment away and slings his bag over his shoulder. “Thank you, my little servant.” He pats Taeyong’s head. The older glares at him.

“You’re, like, four feet tall. I could squash you under my boot like a little bug,” he sneers. Ten giggles.

“I would like that, Yongie.”

He gets hit on the head with a brown Louis Vuitton handbag.

* * *

After stopping by Starbucks and getting two venti frappuccinos, —  _did we seriously fucking need_ venti _frappuccinos?_  Taeyong had complained when the practically ten foot tall drinks were given to them — they arrived at Ten’s house. Once Ten unlocks the door, he sighs, setting his keys on the table and stretching out his arms. “I’m going to go change. Don’t you dare start rewatching RuPaul’s Drag Race or something without me.”

Taeyong rolls his eyes. “I’m just going to use your bathroom and then we’ll go meet them for dinner.”

“Really, Taeyong? You’re sending his friend nudes on the day of our first double date? I knew you were horny but I didn’t think it was that bad.” He walks up the stairs to go change before Taeyong can respond. The latter just blinks and sighs, setting down his frappuccino and beginning his mission of locating Ten’s bathroom in his giant house.

About twenty minutes later, Ten comes downstairs to Taeyong texting on his couch. “They’re on their way.”

“Oh, fuck, already? I haven’t even painted my nails!” Ten exclaims distraughtly as he rushes to the bathroom to find his nail polish. When he finishes rummaging through his collection and decides on a royal blue color, he hears a knock on the front door. “God dammit,” he hisses to himself, looking at his nails and clenching his fists before slowly coming out of the bathroom. “They’re already here?”

Taeyong shrugs and goes to get the door. “I never said they’d just left. But you did spend about eight minutes trying to decide what nail polish to wear.” Before Ten can spit back a retort, Taeyong opens the door and reveals a tall, blonde man holding a cell phone. He seemed to be tense but relaxed as soon as he saw Taeyong. “Hi, Jaehyun—”

“Oh, my god, it’s him,” Ten squeals, quickly running down the stairs to meet Jaehyun. “He’s mine, right? He’s so cute—”

Taeyong smacks his arm. “Actually... I’m seeing Taeyong,” Jaehyun, whose voice sounds shyer than expected, interrupts sheepishly. He scratches the back of his head. “Johnny’s the one who wanted to meet you.”

Ten blinks. “...And where is Johnny?”

“Don’t worry,” Jaehyun replies reassuringly, “he’s waiting in the car. He’s gonna be driving us there, and I think he’s putting on some specific playlist—”

“Here I am,” comes a voice from behind Jaehyun. The blonde jumps slightly and looks up at him. “Sorry for the wait. Is this him?”

Ten thinks he could faint on the spot. For all he knows, he’s already fainted and the God of Gay Tops has appeared in front of his eyes. The  _tall, dark and handsome_  trope comes to life with the guy in front of him and his poor twink heart can’t handle so much hotness at once.

“Yes, this is Ten,” Taeyong says for him, because currently Ten is having a panicked gay breakdown. And also an identity crisis because he thought he was a confident gay (but maybe that’s just with Taeyong because Taeyong is the biggest twink). Ten clears his throat and smiles up at Johnny through quivering lips and trying not to cry. (Tall men are terrifying.)

“Hi — Johnny, is it?” he says, trying to sound professional and holding out his hand. He expects Johnny to shake it and practically melts into a puddle on the ground when the taller holds it instead.

“Shall we go, then?” Johnny’s quirking an eyebrow at him, and anyone else think he might just be flirty, but that look means Johnny knows he’s trapped Ten. And Ten doesn’t know how to feel about it happening all in literally, like, fourteen seconds. But he nods anyway, following the taller male to his car (which is a kind of shitty car and Ten  _definitely_  wants to buy him a new, more expensive one — he feels like a reverse sugar daddy), getting in the shotgun seat when Johnny holds the door open for him. He blushes and looks down at his lap while Johnny gets in the driver’s seat.  _Get yourself together_ , he tells himself internally. He exhales slowly.

“Taeyong tells me you just finished shooting a set today,” Johnny begins as he starts up the car, the sound of  _God Is A Woman_  by Ariana Grande filtering through the shitty speakers from hid iPod. He must notice Ten’s confused face, because he follows up with, “He also told me what music you like.”

Ten shoots a glare at Taeyong in the backseat, who shrugs, and Ten realizes that Jaehyun’s hand is creeping up Taeyong’s thigh and he throws up in his mouth a little, turning his eyes back to the dashboard. “Yeah... I guess he did. Uh, yeah, I just shot a few photos for the next  _NCT_  magazine coming out this month, plus some video clips for the media. Suyeon Ji is really good, have you heard of her?”

Johnny snorts from the driver’s seat, pulling away from Ten’s house and driving down his street. (His cheap car feels out of place in such an expensive neighborhood, but Johnny doesn’t seem to mind, and Ten admires that aloof attitude.  _Aquarius king_.) “Who hasn’t heard of her? My personal favorite model has to be Jihyo Park, though. She’s always slaying her photoshoots. Heeyeon Ahn, too.”

Jaehyun rests his head against the back of Ten’s seat. “Johnny, never say ‘slay’ again, please. You sound like a dad.”

“Wig,” is the elder’s only reply, which makes the younger three groan.

* * *

They arrive at the restaurant sooner or later, only after Johnny continuing to butcher slang words and Jaehyun and Taeyong having so much sexual tension Ten was practically suffocating. (Or that was him slowly falling in love with Johnny and then having an asthma attack. Cause of death: Tall, dark and handsome dad. ... He’ll blame Taeyong for now.)

For someone who has poor taste in cars, Johnny surprisingly picked out a beautiful (probably expensive) restaurant for their first date, just for Ten. Well, it wasn’t just for Ten, and this isn’t really a date, but Ten can dream. Once they sit and order drinks, he relaxes more and comes to his senses. “So, Johnny,” he says, flirtatiously drawing out the last syllable of his name, “what do y—”

“Oh, shit,” Taeyong  ~~ _very rudely_~~  interrupts Ten’s question. Ten stares at him and blinks, raising an eyebrow. “I lost my phone.”

“That’s okay,” Jaehyun assures. “If you give me your number, I can call it for you.” He pauses for a second before winking awkwardly. Johnny chokes on nothing. Ten feels Taeyong cringing next to him.

“...Never mind, I found it,” Taeyong mutters as he grabs his phone out of the space between the booth and the wall. Jaehyun’s ears are red and he’s staring at his napkin, probably realizing he already has Taeyong’s number.  _Please dear god bring my fucking alcohol_ , Ten thinks to himself. He clears his throat.

“...Anyway,  _ahem_. As I was saying—”

“Here are your drinks, gentlemen,” the waitress speaks up, placing beers in front of Johnny and Jaehyun and some fruity alcohol in front of Ten. Taeyong gets water. “Have we decided on an appetizer yet?”

Ten feels like choking her. In the nicest possible way.

“I think we’ll need another minute or two,” Johnny answers for them, winking at Ten. “We’ll order them at the same time as our meals.”

The waitress nods. “Of course. Take your time.” She walks to another table across the room and Ten sighs.

“You were saying?” Johnny’s voice is calm and he’s smiling, and all the irritation immediately disappears from Ten.  _How can one look from him affect me so deeply? This is like a Troye Sivan song._  Ten finds Taeyong interrupting him in his head, too.  _Everything is like a Troye Sivan song to you._

Ten counts to three while breathing steadily before speaking up again. (He never thought his anxiety could get this riled up from being interrupted twice, but then again, all his emotions are more intense around Johnny.) “I was just wondering what you do for a living.”

“Well, usually I get paid to wash cars or, like, fix them kind of. Nothing too hard or anything, that’s my buddy Yuta’s job. I just wash cars and sell oil and replace people’s parts. He gets to do the cool part, which is sliding under a car on that cart thing and fixing it. Or leaning over the engine and getting covered in oil.” He goes on for a little bit about his job with cars and Ten sighs dreamily. Mechanics are so hot. (He’s not a mechanic but that doesn’t stop Ten from imagining him shirtlessly tinkering with a car engine with oil on his hands.)  _Such big dick energy._  Taeyong sputters next to him, and Ten realizes he said that out loud. His eyes widen and his face heats up.

“I—I meant to think that in my head, I—uh—didn’t mean—”

Jaehyun closes his menu loudly, startling Ten and shutting him up. “We should get the tteok for an appetizer. At least, Taeyong and I probably will. I’m not sure what you guys want.”

Ten breathes slowly, cooling down a bit but still avoiding eye contact. “...Tteok sounds good. Oh, they have pad kra pao here? Usually Asian restaurants just make pad thai and that’s the only Thai food I ever see. I think I’m getting that.” The others look at him curiously, but his eyes remain on his closed menu. “It’s spicy but I’ll live. I’m Thai.”

“That, I knew,” Johnny comments, the awkwardness from the previous conversation not bleeding into his voice.  _He’s so calm all the time..._  “Maybe I’ll get something Thai, too. Can I have you?”

This time, Ten chokes on his drink. As if on cue, the waitress revisits their table. “Have we decided?”

“Yes. We’ll all have the tteok for an appetizer and I’ll take the—the pad... see... ew?” Johnny reads slowly, trying to nail the Thai pronunciation. (He doesn’t, but she understands anyway.) They all order their meals, Taeyong stumbling over the pronunciation of a Chinese dish and deciding to just order sukiyaki instead. The table is silent, but not awkwardly. It’s a comfortable silence, where they’re simply thinking among the hum of other customers at the restaurant’s chatter. Johnny and Jaehyun begin idly chatting with each other about something they saw on TV the other day, Taeyong scrolls through Instagram, and Ten taps his fingers on the table. “Hey, Ten,” Johnny says suddenly, causing Ten to quickly glance up at him. “Have you ever watched Riverdale?”

“I personally think it’s really overrated,” Ten comments shamelessly, and he’s relieved when Johnny gestures towards Ten with his hand and turns to Jaehyun like, “See? He agrees!” Jaehyun just shakes his head.

“You just weren’t ready for Cody from Zack and Cody’s glow up,” Jaehyun says, shrugging. Johnny rolls his eyes, obviously having had this conversation with him before.

“So, have you guys heard Troye Sivan’s new album? Or Ariana Grande’s?” Ten asks. Taeyong immediately scoffs. He elbows the older in the side. “Shut up, I’m making small talk,” he whispers.

“Gay small talk,” Taeyong doesn’t whisper. Johnny chuckles.

“Yeah, I’ve heard them,” Johnny replies. “My favorite songs are Plum and Sweetener.”

“Sweetener slaps. But my personal favorite is Successful. She snapped,” Ten says, earning a weird look from Taeyong. He always gets weirded out when Ten uses slang.  _You’re just too old to understand slang_ , he always tells him, to which Taeyong replies,  _And you’re too old to use slang_.

Soon enough, their meals arrive and all small talk comes to an end as they dig into their food. Johnny hums and points at the noodles on his plate with his fork, giving Ten a thumbs up. “This is good! How do you not eat this all the time?”

“Well... Thai food isn’t something you should eat twenty-four-seven...” Ten pauses and flushes slightly. “Also, pad see ew noodles are so sticky. Like, when you pick them up you pick up the entire plate of food with it.” Johnny tests it out with his fork and, yes, all of the noodles on the plate end up moving with his fork. “See.”

“I want to go to Bangkok someday,” he says, eating more of the noodles. “I have a friend named Lucas who goes to university there. He thinks that Seoul is more fun, though, but that’s probably because he’s foreign. I’m just used to Seoul.”

“Are all your friends foreigners?” Taeyong asks, chewing his beef. “Lucas, Yuta, Mark...”

“Well, I am also a foreigner. We tend to congregate together.”

Ten keeps to himself and stays quiet while the other three bicker playfully. He doesn’t feel left out, rather entertained by their banter. He’s glad he agreed to go to dinner.

* * *

They split the bill into quarters. Originally, Johnny wanted to split it between him and Jaehyun since they picked up Taeyong and Ten, but Ten insisted it’d be better they all pay equally. And he tips as well, given he has the most money of the four of them. (Though he did notice Johnny sneak his own tip in. ....... to the bill, that is.)

Johnny even grabs Ten’s coat for him and drapes it around his shoulders as they get up and leave.  _He really wants me to suck his dick, doesn’t he?_  Ten thinks, shaking in his layers of clothes, but not from the cold. Once they get back in the car and Johnny starts it up again, Ten sighs. His nose feels a little cold and he rubs it idly.

“I didn’t realize how dark it got,” Taeyong mumbles, loud enough for the three to hear but not expecting a response. Surprisingly, the temperature had dropped quite a bit now that it’s evening, and Ten wasn’t expecting it to be so late when they finished eating. Maybe he spent the past hour staring at Johnny and time became irrelevant. He shivers again. Johnny changes the music to the local radio and keeps his eyes on the road.

When they return to Ten’s house, he relaxes, eyes closing as his head tilts back against the front seat. He feels a tap on his arm and he looks over to Johnny. “We’re here,” he says, undoing his seatbelt and opening his door. “I can walk you to your front door, if you’d like.”

Ten nods, humming in response and getting out of the car as well. Taeyong and Jaehyun remain in the back, probably waiting to go to Taeyong’s house after. Johnny takes Ten’s arm and guides him to the porch, walking straighter than the latter. Ten doesn’t remember drinking a lot, but he is a lightweight, after all. His head feels a bit fuzzy and his cheeks are warm, and he doesn’t know if it’s even the alcohol anymore.

“I had a good time tonight,” Johnny says after a minute, hot breath clouding in front of his face slightly against the cool air. “If you want it... I can give you my number.”

Ten frantically grabs his phone out of his pocket, nodding and accessing his contacts. He gives it to Johnny so that he can input his own contact, and gets it back after only a few seconds. “I—I’ll text you,” Ten says, looking up at the brunet, who smiles at him warmly.

“Of course.”

There’s a pause, a fragment of time where the world stills and gets colder, and Ten can hear an ambience in his head, where they’re looking at each other in the eyes, and Ten almost reaches up to chase his lips, but the moment ends and Johnny’s waving him off, stepping off the porch.

“Text me,” he reminds him halfway to his car. It’s as if nothing happened. Ten shivers again, unlocking the door and rushing inside. The sound of Johnny’s shitty, shitty car drives away and he shuts his door, steadying his palms on his kitchen table and breathing slowly. His house is warm temperature wise, but the emptiness leaves a chill in Ten’s body and he decides he needs a shower.

After about thirty minutes of standing underneath the warm water, Ten finishes bathing. (Or soaking.)  _Is it still too soon to text Johnny?_  Ten wonders as he wraps a towel around himself, padding out of the bathroom to his bedroom. He checks his phone and sees that he has a text from Taeyong:  _Got home safely_ , a few Snapchat notifications, and a text from Jungwoo about a guy he met in his nine a.m. class. He dries off his hair, pressing on Johnny’s contact — which he now realizes has been named “Cool Car Guy Johnny” — and types out a text message.

_hey cool car guy johnny. it’s cool fashion guy ten_ , he sends him before setting down his phone. He picks out pajamas and slides them on, slipping under his covers and grabbing his phone again when it pings with a notification. 

_Hey. I think I shouldn’t have eaten so much Thai food_ , is the response. Ten rolls his eyes and types out something about “I told you so” before another message appears.  _I’ve been stuck in the bathroom for ten minutes._  He blinks at his phone and doesn’t reply for a minute.  _Does he think... this is a sexy conversation?_  he thinks.

_hot_ , is how he decides to respond.

They talk for a while about anything and everything — the restaurant, their night, Jaehyun and Taeyong, their jobs; Ten thinks that they could’ve talked for six hours straight and he wouldn’t even notice. At one point, Johnny mentioned that he’s finally out of the bathroom and Ten said he was glad he was okay, but he didn’t need to know that. Johnny apologized.

Ten even considered facetiming him, but he then realized that it was eleven and he should be heading to bed. Tomorrow’s one of his days off, though, so he promises to talk to Johnny all day and says goodnight.

Before falling asleep, he changes his contact name from “Cool Car Guy Johnny” to “johnny” with a sparkling heart emoji.

* * *

Ten wakes up abruptly at seven in the morning to his phone ringing. He flinches as the ringtone blares directly into his ear. Apparently, he’d fallen asleep with it next to him. He blindly glances at the name before answering. “... Sicheng?”

“I am having a crisis,” he whispers into the phone. Ten rubs his eyes and puts him on speaker, trying to wake himself up and prepare for his friend’s meaningless rambling. “I was walking to the store, and I passed by this... car repair place. And I saw this guy who was really hot, and he was wearing this sleeveless shirt and he had his muscles out and — oh,  _god_ , Ten, you can’t even imagine how hot this guy was — so anyway. He was leaning over someone’s car and fixing it and stuff, and he looked up at me through his bangs and smiled at me. Hello! I nearly busted right there—”

“Sicheng,” Ten interrupts, almost certain Sicheng can hear his eyes roll. “Why are you whispering?”

There’s silence on the other line for a moment. Ten patiently awaits his answer. “... Well, I’m at the car place. I was thinking about asking the guy out, okay? Oh, shit, he’s coming over—”

Ten’s phone beeps twice when Sicheng hangs up. He sighs, putting his phone on his bedside table and sitting up. It’s been a few days since he went out to dinner with Johnny, and he’s been too busy and anxious to invite him out again. Maybe he will later on. For now, it’s far too early to be calling anyone (take notes, Sicheng), so Ten decides to make himself breakfast.

He takes his phone with him as he walks into the kitchen, trying to remember what Taeyong told him about eggs and how to  _not_  fuck them up like he usually does. After fiddling around the kitchen for a second, he decides on waffles instead. Those are easier, since he already has a frozen package of them in his freezer. Strawberry and blueberry ones, at that. He grins to himself and begins preparing his pre-prepared breakfast, sitting at the island while he waits. He taps his fingers on the counter and checks Instagram, liking a few photos (mostly of food or selfies), until he scrolls past something that catches his eye. It’s a picture from  _d_sicheng97_ , and Ten doesn’t know who it is, but Sicheng is posed next to someone who’s flipping off the camera, and — oh.

It must be the mechanic guy Sicheng was going on about. Ten clicks the photo and sees that  _nayu95_  is tagged. His screen name reads ‘nakamoto yuta’ with a crown emoji following.  _Yuta... Isn’t that who Johnny works with?_  Ten frowns to himself and scrolls through Yuta’s account until he sees a familiar face.

On his screen is a picture of Yuta, Johnny, Jaehyun and a younger-looking boy sitting together and drinking at a restaurant. The younger boy is drinking what looks like apple juice while the others are drinking beers. Surely enough, when Ten clicks on the photo, three other accounts are tagged:  _markthecreator_ ,  _jaehyun_jung__ , and  _syoungho_.

_I shouldn’t stalk his social media_ , Ten’s angel on his shoulder tells him.  _It’s wrong and I should just ask him for his Instagram._  But the other shoulder has three devils and outweighs the first. His curious impulses get the best of him, and he finds himself eating waffles while looking at Johnny’s Instagram account ten minutes later.

He only has 18 posts, to Ten’s dismay. However, he has his Snapchat in his bio, and Ten is about to open Snapchat when his phone rings and practically stops his heart.

It’s just Taeyong.

He slides his finger across reluctantly, putting his phone to his ear. “Hello?”

“You’re up early,” comes Taeyong’s voice through the phone. Ten takes another bite of his waffle. “Jaehyun is bringing me out again tonight.”

“I may be rich, but that doesn’t mean I want to go out to eat every three days.”

“I’m not inviting you.” Ten stays quiet and chews on his waffle. “I was just letting you know I’d be booked for tonight. And... try not to schedule a photoshoot early in the morning tomorrow, okay?”

Ten gasps in faux surprise. “You’re going to stay with him tonight? Spicy, Taeyong. Don’t let him wreck you too hard, you do work tomorrow and I’d like for you to be able to walk.” Taeyong only scoffs in response and they sit in silence for a moment.

“Have you even talked to Johnny since you met him?”

Ten lets the question linger, knowing his silence is already answer enough for Taeyong, but speaking anyway. “No, I’ve been busy. But I did find his Instagram account... He has some really dumb captions. And his Snapchat username is  _bigdaddy360_. Doesn’t he know he can’t change that?”

Taeyong chokes on the other line. “Ten, you can’t stalk everyone you’re interested in.”

“Shut up! I wasn’t stalking him. Sicheng tagged someone in a post and then I stalked  _that_  person and found Johnny’s account! He just happened to have his Snapchat in his description. Should I add him?”

The other sighs, and Ten can practically see Taeyong rubbing his temples. “Just talk to him, Ten. He probably thinks you hate him or something.” Ten pouts and looks at Johnny’s Instagram — he doesn’t really think that, does he?

Suddenly, his page refreshes and Johnny has a new post. Ten’s eyes widen. “Taeyong, he just made a new post.”

“You  _are_ fucking stalking him.”

“I’m not! He just happened to post right when I looked again!”

He clicks on the post. The photo is a picture of half of Johnny’s face in his bed. He looks like he just woke up, and Ten  _swears_  there’s a bit of stubble, and—

Then he reads the caption.

_Do you think it’s stupid to miss someone so much after only three days?_

“Ten, are you still there?” Taeyong asks, jolting Ten out of his trance.

“Fuck, oh, shit, yeah. I am. Uh... Taeyong? His caption... it’s about me,” he says, reading it over and over to make sure it isn’t a mistake. He refreshes the post to see if anyone has liked it yet, but it disappears. “Oh... he just deleted it?”

“Ten, I have to go, but have fun with your... not-quite-boyfriend.” Taeyong hangs up while Ten’s still having a breakdown.  _What a great friend you are, Taeyong_.

Ten sets down his phone and finishes his breakfast. He doesn’t make a move to get up, though, eyes locked on his screen. Maybe he should call Johnny. The clock reads  _8:06 am_. Maybe it’s still too early.  _I’m at the car place_ , Sicheng’s voice rings in his head. If Yuta’s working this early, maybe Johnny is, too. But he shouldn’t bother Johnny at work, right?

Again, the devils’ shoulder wins and Ten ends up slinging his coat around his shoulders and heading out his front door while calling Sicheng again.

* * *

Ten regrets coming to Johnny’s work.

He realizes soon after he arrives that he seems like a creepy stalker, and he almost pivots on his heel to go back home when he sees Johnny come out of the garage.

It’s like a dramatic scene in a teen movie, the way Ten imagines it. He can hear rock music playing in his head while Johnny walks in slow-motion towards him, throwing a towel over his shoulder and smirking at him. In reality, Johnny doesn’t even notice him at first and asks Yuta why he’s with some blonde guy. And he doesn’t have a towel.

But then, Sicheng introduces himself to Johnny and points over to Ten, and Johnny sees him. Their eyes meet, and the music starts up again while Ten casually has a heart attack in the parking lot. “Ten!” he calls out to him, waving. Ten comes over and smiles at him.

“Hey, Johnny! Sorry, I meant to text you but I got really busy. Uh... we should grab coffee later or something!” he rushes out anxiously. He’s getting a bit antsy and he’s not sure why, but Johnny’s grin widens anyway.

“Actually, we can grab coffee now. It’s my break.”

“... Your break is at eight in the morning?”

“... Yes.”

Ten shakes his head and sighs. Johnny waves to Yuta and says he’s taking a breakfast break. Yuta shoots back with, “That’s not how it works!” but lets him go anyway. Johnny guides Ten to his car and opens the passenger door for him before getting into the driver’s seat. “So... is Yuta your boss?” Ten decides to inquire while looking in Johnny’s glove box.  _There’s an unopened condom package in here..._

“Yes and no. Well, kind of.” Johnny starts up the car and begins exiting the parking lot as quickly as he can. “He’s not my actual boss, but I treat him like a superior. He kind of does manage my schedule a little bit, so I guess he’s like my... co-boss. My real boss never really is here.” He stops at an intersection. “But anyway, I know a great cafe just down the road. Funny you should mention coffee. My friend owns the place so we’ll definitely get a discount.”

“I feel like you have around a thousand friends, Johnny,” Ten comments, looking at the cars passing by. “And I’m the ‘famous’ one.”

Johnny chuckles, pressing on the gas as the light turns green. “Well, I guess I do have a lot. I’ve been living here for a really long time, and I’m super sociable. Here it is, right up here,” he says, pointing at a little cafe in a mall.

“‘Moon’s Bistro,’” Ten reads off the sign. “Cute name.”

“Yup, my friend came up with it himself. He was going to call it ‘Moon’s Grinds,’ but I had to warn him about the possible innuendo. He didn’t want any customers to mistake his cafe for a strip club.” Johnny expertly finds a parking space in front of the cafe and stops the car. “Ready to go?”

Ten nods. “I might just get coffee and a little pastry, though. I already ate breakfast.”

“It’s only been morning for, like, three hours,” Johnny comments as they head inside, and Ten laughs. The little bell on the door jingles as they walk inside, and the barista smiles up at them. He has crescent-shaped eyes when he smiles, and he looks a bit young, but his energy immediately calms both of them.

“Hi, what can I get you guys today?” the young boy —  _Jeno_ , his name tag reads — asks as they approach the counter. He remains smiling the whole time, and it seems genuine.  _Maybe he just really likes his job_.

“Hey, before I order anything, could you tell Taeil that I’m here? My name’s Johnny.” Johnny holds out his hand and Jeno shakes it while smiling even brighter than before, somehow.

“Hi! I’m Jeno! Okay, I’ll be right back!” he says, rushing to the back. They can hear his muffled, “Taeil! Johnny’s here for you!” His energy exceeds anything Ten’s ever seen before, and he can tell Johnny thinks the same when they give each other a look and he shrugs. Jeno comes back a moment later, this time with a slightly shorter male. The latter male has curly brown locks and smiles when he sees Johnny.

“Here you are,” Taeil says, then glances at Ten. “Who’s this you’ve brought with you? A boyfriend?”

Ten flushes and looks away. Johnny scratches the back of his head. “Uh, no, not really—”

“I call bullshit.” Taeil shakes his head at Johnny and playfully hits his arm. “I’ll handle these two, Jeno, you go make that customer’s latte. So, anyway. What do you guys feel like today?” he asks. Ten huffs to himself once he notices that the man he thought was extremely short was actually still taller than him.

“Well, I’ll take my usual, and he’ll be having the chocolate cream puffs and a caramel frappuccino,” Johnny orders for the both of them, causing Ten to look over at him suddenly. It’s too late, though, because Taeil’s already input the information and Johnny’s paying. They banter for a bit more before Taeil gives the order to Jeno and goes into the back again. Johnny seats them at a table in the corner.

“Hello? Why did you order for me?” Ten asks. He’s not really annoyed that Johnny decided for him, rather just sad he didn’t get to look at the menu a bit longer.

“Oh, well, if you don’t like the cream puffs —  _which I doubt, by the way_ — then we can get something else next time.”  _Next time...?_

Nevertheless, Ten nods in affirmation and sits back, looking out the window. Jeno comes over to their table with their coffees soon enough, thanking them in English for coming before running back to get their food. Ten shakes his head. “He’s kind of cute, don’t you think?”

Johnny shrugs. “I think he’s, like, sixteen.”

Ten smacks him on the arm lightly. “I mean in a little brother kind of way. I’m not into him. I think you’re cuter.”

He gets a sudden burst of confidence when he catches Johnny actually get flustered from surprise. “Oh yeah?” He plays it off like he wasn’t caught off-guard, but Ten sees right through him.  _Lying bitch._ “Oh, here’s the cream puffs.”

Jeno returns to their table with a small plate with five cream puffs on it, all drizzled in chocolate. Ten would never admit it, but they actually look good. He sips his frappuccino before taking one of the cream puffs in his hand and sniffing it. Johnny raises a curious eyebrow at him, but doesn’t comment. He takes a tender bite, closing his eyes when the cream-filled center gushes in his mouth. He hums satisfactorily, low in his throat. “Good, aren’t they?” Jeno says, and Ten jumps a little, only now realizing Jeno had never left. He pales a little. “I didn’t mean to scare you, sir.”

“Oh... it’s okay,” Ten reassures him, nodding and smiling. “And yeah, I suppose they are good.” He internally flips off Johnny when he spots him smirk to himself out of his peripheral. “Don’t mind if I do.” He takes another cream puff and bites into it. Jeno smiles and bows to them, walking back to the counter and taking someone else’s order. Ten watches him, not missing how his face brightens ten times more when he seemingly recognizes the customer in front of him.

“Nana, you came,” he says quietly, bouncing a little in place. ‘Nana’ smiles back at him and they exchange words for a moment. Ten looks back at Johnny across from him, who was watching him the whole time.

“What?” he asks as he sips more of his frappuccino. Johnny shrugs at him.

“You’re cute. That’s all.”

Ten flushes red and looks down at his plate. “This isn’t fair.”

“What isn’t?”

“I’m supposed to be good at this stuff... flirting and flustering people. I don’t know why, but you keep embarrassing me... You’ve out-confident-gayed me.” He looks up at Johnny and laughs with him, scratching his head mindlessly. “I’m so used to being the playboy, now I’m being played. It’s just not fair.”

Johnny’s smile fades a bit, but still remains, though weaker. “I’m not playing you, Ten.” Something in his tone sounds hurt, and Ten feels a pang of guilt.

“Oh... I didn’t mean—no, I know you’re not... well...” Ten stays silent for a moment to gather his thoughts, and Johnny’s with him the whole time, just waiting patiently and looking at him with the gentlest of expressions.  _God, I’m fucking whipped. Shit._ “I don’t mean to get all real in this Moon’s Bistro, or whatever, but I’ve never been in a relationship that’s lasted longer than a few months at the most, okay? I’ve had crushes on guys that lasted a long time, but then when we’d date, they’d end up using me for sex or cheating or just getting over me in general. It sucks... I feel like I’m only good for flings, you know?”

Johnny nods understandingly, not taking any move to reply until he’s sure Ten’s ready for it. “I’m really sorry about that, Ten. I didn’t mean to make it seem like I was one of them or anything. We’ve only been on one date — well, unless you consider this the second — and I don’t want to make you rush into a relationship if you’re not ready. But — and this is very embarrassing — I’ve only been in three relationships prior to now.” He’s quiet for a second, as if he’s letting Ten absorb that information. “But that’s only because I don’t usually date around. I am a ‘settling down’ type of person, and I’m definitely looking for commitment, but don’t feel obligated to give me those things if you don’t want them as much as I do.”

Ten feels like crying in the club right now. He wasn’t expecting such a sudden influx of emotions from one conversation, but he is an overemotional, affection-deprived Pisces after all. “Johnny... You’re, like, the most down-to-earth guy I’ve ever met. For real. We have only been on two dates, so I don’t even know if this is too early for this kind of conversation, but... I’m a pretty committed and emotionally attached person, too. Johnny, if you want to pursue a relationship with me...”

“I’d love to, but only if you want to pursue one with me.” Johnny reaches across the table and holds Ten’s hands, stroking his fingers against the backs of them gently. Ten pulls his hands away and rolls his eyes, pretending like he doesn’t  _live_ for this cheesy shit.

“Duh... that’s why I was about to ask...” Ten coughs and munches on another cream puff. He points his finger at Jeno and the pink-haired boy — ‘Nana’ — at the counter, still talking to each other. “So, are those two...”

“Yes. They’re very, very gay,” Johnny says, chuckling as he sips his coffee. “They’ve been together for a few years now. The pink-haired one is Jaemin; he volunteers at the animal shelter a few blocks down. He’s always hanging around here, though, so I wonder if he even does that anymore.”

They sit together a little while longer, simply absorbing each other’s presence while finishing their coffees, before Johnny’s phone rings. “Ah, it’s Yuta. How long have we been here? He’s probably pissed at me.” He answers the phone. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Yeah. Yuta, I know. I’ll be there in a minute. No, I didn’t get stuck in the bathroom again.” Ten raises his eyebrows and quietly finishes his cream puffs, pretending he didn’t hear that. “Okay. Bye.”

“I guess we should go now,” Ten says once Johnny hangs up his phone. The latter nods.

“Come on, I’ll drive you home,” Johnny offers, standing and picking up both of their garbage.

Ten shakes his head. “Oh, no, I don’t want to make you more late... my house is nearby, anyway. I can just walk.”

Johnny seems displeased with that idea but doesn’t protest. He walks to the trash can and throws their empty coffees away. “Well, if you want to. But we have to get together again soon, okay? How about tomorrow?”

Nodding, Ten follows Johnny out the door (which Johnny holds open for him), smiling at him as he walks with him to his car. “I’ll call you tomorrow, then...”  _...boyfriend_ , he adds in his head. Johnny seems like he’s waiting for Ten to hug him or — better yet — kiss him or something, but Ten just awkwardly walks off in the direction of his house. 

_Why am I so nervous around him all the time?_

Ten shakes his head and quickens his pace.

* * *

He finally checks his phone once he’s home.

Sicheng texted him asking how he and Johnny were doing, telling him that he made plans with Yuta on Saturday; Taeyong texted him about Jaehyun, etc. Things he can reply to later. But there is one text from Johnny.

It’s a screenshot of what Johnny changed Ten’s contact name to: “Babe” with an intertwining hearts emoji.

Ten nearly scoffs at the sight —  _only straight white guys make their partner’s contact name “babe”_ , he thinks to himself, but it doesn’t stop his heart from fluttering in his chest. He returns the favor, sending Johnny a screenshot of his contact name, which has been the same since he changed it the first time. He locks his phone and sets it down on the table, laying on his bed and running his hands through his hair.  _Tomorrow..._

It’s only so many hours until then, but it might as well be two weeks. Quickly, he’s become far more infatuated with Johnny than he’d first intended. He shakes his head to himself, closing his eyes. There is a photoshoot tomorrow, but Ten was able to change it to noon instead of nine, just for Taeyong.  _Selfish bitch._

He checks the time. It’s still early morning, not even eleven yet. His photoshoot today is in the afternoon again, somewhere around four or something. Ten sighs. He might as well just take a nap while we waits — it’s not like he has people to hang out with right now, anyway. He shoots a group text to Donghyuck and Renjun, the teen models for the shoot, reminding them what time it will take place, then checks his conversation with Johnny again.

_I’m excited for tomorrow_ , Johnny texted him three minutes ago.

Ten smiles.  _me too_ , he sends before he turns over and slips into another deep sleep.

* * *

Ten has a problem with falling asleep with his phone still next to him on his bed.

His phone has a problem with waking him up by loudly ringing next to his head.  _Hey, that rhymes_.

He doesn’t even check the contact before lazily sliding his finger on the screen and putting his ear to it. “Hello?”

No one answers.

He looks at the screen and realizes it was just an alarm for 3:30.  _Well, shit._ He sits up abruptly and heads into the bathroom to freshen up and do his makeup.

Once he returns, he finds a new outfit he’d just bought the week before.  _I suppose it won’t hurt to wear this now._ He slides into the tight pants, buttoning them before slipping on his matching jacket. He doesn’t bother with an undershirt — the jacket is meant to be worn with an exposed chest, anyway. He pulls on some ankle boots and grabs his sunglasses. (It’s not even super bright outside, he just wants to look rich.)

After grabbing his phone, wallet, keys, the whole ordeal, he heads out of his front door at 4:05 PM.  _Smooth_ , he tells himself, shaking himself off as he clicks the “unlock” button on his keys. His McLaren beeps and he smiles to himself. Johnny should really get a new car because he has nothing on Ten’s. He sits in the driver’s seat and turns on the car, radio also activating and playing some old Britney Spears song. Ten begins driving to the studio, setting his phone in the passenger seat with his bag.

When he’s about halfway there, his music stops and he gets a call from Donghyuck. He presses the answer option on his screen. “Hyuck, what is it? I’m almost there.”

“Injunnie says he’s having a lot of pain in his knees and doesn’t want to walk around today,” the nasally, indistinguishable voice of Lee Donghyuck replies. Ten sighs. “I know we’re, like, doing pictures and stuff, but please don’t make him move his legs a lot. He’s been complaining to me over Facetime for over an hour. I have to drive him to the studio myself.”

“You don’t have a driver’s license.”

“Yeah, but the police don’t know that.”

Ten blinks and doesn’t respond, furrowing his eyebrows. One of these days, he swears, Lee Donghyuck is going to get himself arrested and Ten will be the one to bail him out of jail. He sighs again. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to make him do a lot. Do you even care that much?”

Donghyuck scoffs. “I couldn’t care less if his stupid knees hurt, but he won’t stop whining at me so I’m doing all I can to get it to stop. We’ll be at the studio in maybe — Renjun, stop eating my food! — ten minutes. I stopped by McDonald’s.”

_... He stopped by McDonalds right before a modeling photoshoot. Lee Donghyuck sure is something else._

“Okay. I’ll be there in five. See you soon.” He doesn’t wait for his response before he hangs up and returns to listening to Britney Spears. His grip loosens on the steering wheel — he doesn’t know how his boss possibly expects him to deal with teenage models all the time, but it’s whatever. He was a teenager only a few years ago, so he understands why they’re so weird. But he doesn’t think he’ll ever quite understand why Donghyuck is like  _that_.

He pulls into the parking lot. There’s already cars parked around; it is happy hour, after all. He parks somewhere close to the front of the building and gathers his stuff, heading inside while looking at his phone. He has a text from Johnny.

_I have tomorrow off from work. Should I come over at like one?_

_Please hang out with me now_ , Ten wants to say, but can’t. He’s already busy and he’s not even home, anyway. Instead, he replies with,  _sounds good to me :)_. 

He sighs and walks into the studio, setting his bag on the floor and plugging his phone in. Donghyuck and Renjun are absent, so while he waits for them, Ten decides to set up all the equipment. This is the most boring part of his job, probably. He swears everyday that he’ll get a hernia from carrying so much heavy shit around all day, but Donghyuck tells him that it’s the only way he’ll gain muscle on his twink body.  _Yeah, right. Like I’m going to listen to a sixteen year old talk about my unfit “twink” body._ ... Just because he’s right doesn’t mean it isn’t mean.

After placing all the cameras in their specific positions (which is an ugly thing to have to do), and after testing all the lights to make sure they were just the right amount of bright for the shoot, he sits down in his chair and sighs. “Why can’t I just be paid to do nothing?” he wonders out loud to himself.

In maybe fifteen minutes, he hears footsteps enter the room, and he turns to see Donghyuck walking in with a limping Renjun.

“Are you okay, Jun? Do you need anything? The shoot will only take a little while, so I hope you can push through it,” Ten tells him immediately, guiding him to his position where he sits on a crate. Renjun sighs.

“I’m fine. I think I pulled something when Donghyuck was trying to teach me a dance yesterday.” Donghyuck scoffs.

“Don’t drag me into this!”

Ten rolls his eyes and walks back to the cameras, giving out directions to the two models after they change into the advertised attire. Donghyuck is dressed in beige, pleated pants and a white crop top that says “stop talking.” on it, with matching Doc Martens for shoes. Renjun is the polar opposite — clad in black cargo pants over full-body fishnets, a black crop top with sleeves, and leather ankle boots that are tied up, dark sunglasses donning the bridge of his nose. Ten whistles while taking photos, shaking his head and clicking his tongue.

“All the teens will spontaneously combust once these photos are released,” he comments as he directs Haechan’s head further left. “Ugh, these are so good. Okay, I’m almost done. I need a few solo close-ups and that’ll be it.”

* * *

Ten is almost  _certain_ the universe is plotting against him in every aspect possible.

Once he’d returned home from the studio and emailed the pictures to his boss, he sneezed. Which was fine, sometimes he just sneezed from allergies or something.

Then he sneezed again.

He’d shrugged it off, going into his medicine cabinet and taking some vitamins just in case he was getting sick.

After a rather painful coughing session, he came to the conclusion that he was already sick.

Now, he’s laying in bed, tissues everywhere, texting Johnny sadly.

_i just started sneezing and coughing.. might get u sick if u come over tomorrow :(_ , he sends him. Johnny starts typing soon after he sends it.  _Was he waiting for me to text him—?_

He replies quickly.  _Thats ok. Whatever will get me out of work on sunday x_.

Ten actually blushes. Was it because of the x at the end? Was it because Johnny was willing to get sick just to be with him? Either way, Taeyong saying “fucking whipped” is haunting the rest of Ten’s thoughts and he rubs his temples. Maybe it’s better if he just sleeps it off — maybe he’ll feel better when he wakes up.

He’ll wake up and it’ll be Friday and he’ll be able to be with Johnny.

He falls asleep smiling at the thought.

* * *

He wakes up on Friday, that’s for sure. But it’s a lot sooner than he’d wanted to wake up — the clock reads  _4:42 AM_.

_Fuck._

He was especially uncomfortable due to the thick layer of sweat over his body, despite only  having one thin blanket covering him. 

_God truly hates gays._

His nose is stuffed and he’s drenched, but all he can think about is how if Johnny were to see him like this he’d probably block his number, move out of town, get a new job, and never want to see him again.

Well, that’s an exaggeration, but he feels and looks pretty fucking ugly right now.

Whatever — he gets up anyway, despite the protests from his aching back and throbbing head, heading out of his bedroom and into the kitchen. Maybe if he drinks some milk and eats a snack he’ll feel a little better.

Once he warms some milk for himself, he looks through his cupboards for something, anything, to snack on, before coming across a pack of cookies.  _Score._ He picks out a few and goes to his couch, sitting down. He takes a sip of the milk and then a bite of the cookie, then repeats. After a minute or two, he finds himself turning the TV on and just watching whatever shitty soap opera happened to be on at nearly five in the morning. 

* * *

He wakes up hours later, curled up on the couch with an empty glass of milk on the table in front of him. The plate that had previously been covered with a select few cookies is now resting on the floor, bare except for crumbs. He rubs his eyes meekly, the sting of exhaustion just underneath his eyelids. Stretching his arms and legs, he looks up at the ceiling. 

_Johnny’s supposed to come over today. But I told him not to. Will he still?_

He grabs his phone and checks the time. _1:08 PM._

_Well, shit, he might already be on his way._

There are no notifications from Johnny. Maybe he decided that he shouldn’t bother Ten after all, that he needs some rest. But Ten starts pouting — what better to cure his sickness than someone’s company? Especially someone he admires so much, like Johnny.

He unlocks his phone and goes to Johnny’s contact. Before he can spend hours contemplating whether or not he should call him, he presses the phone button and holds his cell up to his ear. It rings once, the second ring interrupted as Johnny picks up.

“Hello?”

“Johnny!” Ten exclaims excitedly into the phone, followed by a cough or two. “Whoops. Hey, I just wanted to let you know I’m feeling a bit better and still kind of want you to come over...”

Johnny’s quiet for a moment. Ten starts to get a pit of worry in his stomach. “Well, uh, that’s good. I’m kind of already heading over there.”

Ten sighs in relief. “Oh, you are? You read my mind.”

“Yeah,” Johnny chuckles. Something feels weird in his tone. “Well, I’ll see you soon, then.” He hangs up.

His phone goes back to Johnny’s contact and Ten stares weirdly at the screen. Something was odd. He wasn’t speaking how he normally does. _Maybe he’s just nervous._ But does Johnny get nervous? He hung up so suddenly...

Ten decides to just wait and see what’s going on.

Thirty-eight minutes later, there’s a knock at his door. Excitedly, he gets up and answers it. Behind it is, of course, no one else but Johnny Seo.

“I’m here.” He smiles warmly. Something still feels off.

Johnny must notice the way Ten’s furrowing his eyebrows — he never was good at hiding his emotions — because he scratches the back of his head and sighs. Ten realizes he’s holding a bag. 

“Don’t worry, no one died,” he says as an attempt at reassurance. He smiles sheepishly. “I... have something to ask you.”

“Please don’t move in with me,” Ten says, panickily. Johnny snickers a bit in response, but he quiets once he realizes Ten seems like he actually believes he will.

“Oh, god, no. That’s not at all what I want. Can I come in?”

Ten gasps and nods, letting him in and shutting the door. He didn’t notice that they’d just been standing in the doorway for a few minutes. Gulping, he sits next to Johnny on the couch and runs his hands down his own legs nervously. “So... what is it that you want to ask me?”

Johnny looks down to his bag for a moment, before reaching inside of it and pulling out a camera. “Well, you’re usually the one photographing models... but I was thinking I could photograph you?”

Ten stares at him, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “You want me to model for you?”

“Well...” Johnny chuckles nervously. “I always thought photography was pretty cool, but... You just photograph models that advertise clothing lines.” Ten blinks at him, nodding slowly. He doesn’t fully understand where Johnny’s going. The latter sighs.

“I’d rather photograph you without the clothes in the way.”

* * *

It’s not surprising how quickly Ten agreed to do a nude photoshoot. He’d practically ran to his bedroom with Johnny to set up the backdrop before flinging his clothes off wildly. Johnny was laughing at how eager he was. And here they are now — Ten, laying on the bed on full display while Johnny is standing above, snapping photos (for himself).

“Have you ever... modeled naked before?” he asks Ten. It seems from his confidence that he’s done it more than photographing models. Ten only laughs.

“Actually, no, never. But, uh... I’m just very confident about my body, so.” He giggles and tries a different pose, winking at Johnny when he catches him looking downward. The older smirks at him, flushing a little.

“You’re sure this isn’t weird or anything?”

“Of course not.”

They continue in silence. Sometimes Johnny will instruct Ten to move with only his hands, and snap different angles of his body. Ten thinks Johnny doesn’t notice the tent appearing in his own pants, until he sees the crimson shade covering his cheeks. He smiles up at him. “Like what you see?”

Johnny sets down the camera. “Don’t make me come over there.”

“Please do,” Ten teases, smirking until Johnny’s eyes darken and he steps forward challengingly. Ten gulps. He wasn’t serious. Or maybe he was.

The older male leans on the end of the bed. “Oh? And if I do come over there, what will you want me to do?”

_Everything. Do everything to me._ Ten’s lip quivers, hands shaking. “Whatever you want,” he whispers, inhaling deeply as Johnny lunges forward and pins him down on the bed, crushing their lips together in a kiss that swirls all of the thoughts in Ten’s head and stirs the pool of arousal forming in his abdomen.

* * *

Ten contemplates the meaning of life at seven in the evening, laying naked under the covers next to a very asleep Johnny.

He’s covered in sweat, just like when he woke up sick, except the slick moisture sticking to his skin is from the past moments he’d spent with Johnny. The latter passed out soon after, but Ten is still awake, now staring at the ceiling and wondering just how this happened.

They’ve been dating for, what, a few days? One day? Time seems irrelevant, the darkness and warmth of the room never ending, surrounding Ten’s vulnerable body and distracting his thoughts from logicality. He sighs. Maybe he should start smoking.

That was a joke.

He steadies his breathing — he’s still slightly panting from their exercise. The adrenaline rush is still coursing through his veins, and he can practically feel his heart in three different places, but that’s more of the anxiety than the excitement.

He’s anxious; anxious for what’s to come in the morning, what Taeyong and Jaehyun will think. Was he good enough for Johnny? They’ve been together for barely eighty hours. It’d be so easy for Johnny to just up and abandon him, but he doesn’t take him for that kind of person. Maybe, if they’re together long enough, he can teach Ten how to be good enough for him.

As he starts to calm, his logic begins taking over again. Of course Johnny won’t leave him. He won’t have to train Ten to be good for him, either. He doesn’t see Ten as an object. Plus, he barely knows anything about him. If he weren’t good enough for him, he wouldn’t have bothered coming over today.

And, inevitably, spending the night.

Ten looks over at Johnny’s sleeping form. He looks so at peace, long lashes fanned over his cheeks and perfectly shaped lips together, but not tightly. The younger boy sighs. He truly is whipped for him, isn’t he?

A buzz from his nightstand shocks him out of his trance, and for a moment, he’s afraid his shudder of surprise might’ve waken Johnny up. However, the other male stays asleep. He sighs and reaches over, grabbing his phone. It’s a text from Taeyong.

_How are you guys?_

Ten smiles. They couldn’t be better. He simply replies with a picture of Johnny asleep next to him, and adds  _i think i’m in love._

Taeyong sends,  _Gross, Ten_ , and doesn’t reply afterwards. But Ten doesn’t care if he thinks it’s gross. His Pisces heart has melted and Johnny licked it up like ice cream. Well, that analogy is gross, but perhaps that describes how their affection is. Cheesy and slightly disgusting.

Just how Ten likes it.

**Author's Note:**

> [instagram](https://instagram.com/yutaween)   
>  [twitter](https://twitter.com/neonchenle)
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> if you’re curious, [this is ten’s car](http://cars.mclaren.com/ultimate-series/p1) and [this is johnny’s](https://depositphotos.com/119802476/stock-photo-private-old-car-mitsubishi-lancer.html) lol


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